Defense Forces’ Lynx Armored Vehicle Fleet Growing Rapidly

Another Lynx KF-41 armored fighting vehicle has been delivered to the ‘Kinizsi Pál’ 30th Armored Infantry Brigade in Hódmezővásárhely (southern Hungary). The expansion of the fleet is part of the Defense Forces’ development program, one of the largest defense projects of the past decades.

Hungary is playing a pioneering role in the international armament landscape. It is the first country to introduce the Lynx into its armed forces and to build its own factory for the production.

The Lynx KF-41 is manufactured domestically through a joint venture with Rheinmetall. Construction of the production facility in Zalaegerszeg (western Hungary) began in spring 2021. Today, the factory is considered the most modern tank production facility in the world. A decisive milestone was reached in July 2024 when the first Lynx manufactured in Hungary was handed over to the Hungarian Defense Forces.

The total order comprises 218 vehicles in numerous variants, most of which are to be manufactured at the plant in Zalaegerszeg.

The Lynx is designed for a planned service life of 40 years. This means that the armored vehicle will remain in service with the Hungarian Defense Forces until at least 2064.

Photo: honvedelem.hu

While Hungary received the first vehicle (from Germany) at the end of 2022, domestic production is now set to ramp up quickly. A total of 46 Lynx armored vehicles are to be delivered by Rheinmetall by 2025.

By 2030, the Defense Forces are scheduled to receive a total of 172 of these vehicles, that will be manufactured in Hungary as part of the joint venture.

The training required to operate the vehicle is being carried out on an ongoing basis to ensure the proper use of the incoming equipment.

Joint deployment of Lynx armored fighting vehicles and Leopard tanks at the Hungarian Defense Forces’ training range near Veszprém in May 2025. Photo: MTI/Katona Tibor

The KF-41 manufactured by Rheinmetall represents the most advanced technology in infantry fighting vehicles. The most important piece of the Lynx’s remarkable main armament is the 30 mm automatic machine gun that can fire programmable ammunition with a range of up to 3,000 meters.

The designers placed great emphasis on increased protection: the Lynx remains operational even if a 10-kilogram mine explodes under its floor armor. Side protection is effective against the armor-piercing ammunition of heavy 14.5-millimeter machine guns and the fragments of 155-millimeter artillery shells that hit at a distance of more than 25 meters from the vehicle.

The vehicles are to be equipped with an active protection system (APS) that neutralizes incoming threats by firing an explosive projectile at them.

In addition, the Lynx has specially designed seats attached to the roof armor that reduce the destructive effect of mines and improvised explosive devices. The combat vehicle is fully air-conditioned and its filter system can protect occupants from contamination by chemical, biological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons.

Defense Forces’ Lynx Fleet Expands with Command Variant